Beat that!

What a two weeks we've had on the farm! Good, bad, exhilarating and exasperating all rolled into 14 days. And we're still not thru with the whole of it. But I have to update, just to make sense of this whirlwind and to keep myself from sitting down and crying for joy and sorrow in equal measure.


First of all, Grandma H* is in a nursing home. We are sad. We are happy that it is such a nice place. But seeing her there makes us sad. We spent last Sunday with her and will go up this Sunday again and celebrate Grandpa's birthday with her and Grandpa.


Next, Wilma was hit by a car, or so we think. No one was there to see. Her injuries are not life threatening, but they are limb threatening. Both back legs are affected. No bones were broken but she lost a lot of skin, some toes and has some injuries to her joints. We were told to not let her injuries get wet. Good luck with 1 foot of melting snow on the ground.


Jordan had a BAD case of 24 hr stomach flu, and two things he missed made it a HORRIBLE case:1) He and I had to miss one of the basketball play-off games. 2) He missed the toilet. A lot.


Dane got RSV, which added to our stress, and I STILL have to remind him to wear a coat! This last Saturday, his basket ball team played for the division championship (4 hours before Jens' game) and he was gasping for air during the second half. They lost by 1 point! It was very exciting. I brought my state championship voice and got weird looks from the other parents...and Dane.


I've had the chance to teach at the Elementary School, the HighSchool, and Snow College.


THEN there was the state tournament! If that wasn't the most fun I've had since...since..., well dadgummit, I can't even remember when I've had this much fun. I yelled at refs, hooted for homeboys (I have perfected a wonderful Indian war whoop) and ate nachos for a whole week! Watching Jens and a group of really good boys take that championship was something I will write an essay about someday. And that essay will win lots of awards, too. Because if I can communicate to others what I saw happen to that ordinary group of boys, how they competed against HUGE odds, and played as a team with 8 different pairs of arms and legs, but with one heart, (wow!) everyone will cry right along with me as they read it. But I don't know if I can put that kind of miracle in to words...some things are meant only to be communicated to the heart. Crystal posted a great picture on her website that was in the Deseret News. Here are some highlights of Jens during the play-offs. For his part, he didn't get as much playing time as he did during the regular season, (he subs in for the player who became the MVP of the tournament, Tylen Jackson) but it didn't dampen his excitement one bit.
When Jordie saw this picture he said "Look mom, Jens is flexing his muscles!"

I don't think he made this one, but just check out that follow-thru!

Look at that vertical leap, will ya- he's got at least 4 inches on his opponent!No one does impromptu parades better than rural Utah, Jens is the cute boy standing in the red and grey shirt.

As I said, this run of fun and exhausting activities isn't over yet. Today, Jordie is competing in the school spelling bee (these are always very stressful for me) Tomorrow my good friend (who went thru a heart-wrenching divorce two years ago) gets married in the Manti Temple and Joe takes Grandma to get her neck checked. Friday I am a sub at the HighSchool, Saturday is Jr. Prom, where I get to dance the first dance with Jens (for about 20 seconds if he gets his way). Next Saturday, Rach has asked me to speak to her Relief Society on inner beauty. (I am open for all ideas).

Somehow, I feel much better after getting all of that out of me. Now .... on to the laundry!